Gender-specific social and environmental correlates of active travel to school in four European countries: the HBSC Study

• Published in: Frontiers in public health 2023-07, Vol.11, p.1190045-1190045
• Main Authors: Brindley, Catherina, Hamrik, Zdenek, Kleszczewska, Dorota, Dzielska, Anna, Mazur, Joanna, Haug, Ellen, Kopcakova, Jaroslava, Marques, Adilson, Altenburg, Teatske, Demetriou, Yolanda, Bucksch, Jens
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: active transport; Child; environmental correlates; Europe; Female; gender; Germany; HBSC; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Public Health; social correlates; students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Walking
• ISSN: 2296-2565; 2296-2565
• DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190045

Despite the health benefits, a large proportion of girls and boys in Europe do not travel to school actively. A better understanding of the correlates associated with this behavior could guide interventions. This study examines perceived social and environmental correlates of active travel to school (ACTS) from the 2017/18 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey in four European countries, with a special emphasis on gender differences ( = 22,023). Logistic regression was conducted to analyze associations between the perceived importance of each correlate and ACTS behavior for 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old girls and boys from Germany, Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia. All models were adjusted for age, family affluence, and meeting World Health Organization recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Rates of ACTS significantly differed between girls and boys. In Czechia, 65% of girls and boys traveled to school actively, followed by Slovakia (61.4% girls and 58.4% boys), Poland (57.7% girls and 60.2% boys), and Germany (42.6% girls and 48.6% boys). Girls were less likely to actively travel to school compared to boys (odds ratio [OR]: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87-0.97). Increasing age (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.97) and a greater distance to school index (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.88-0.90) were both negatively associated with ACTS. The perceived importance of living closer to school and of road and neighborhood safety was positively associated with ACTS, with a stronger association in boys than in girls for neighborhood safety. On the contrary, the perceived importance of having people to walk with was negatively associated with ACTS, with a stronger association in girls (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65-0.84) than in boys (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66-0.88). This study provides insights into perceived social and environmental correlates associated with ACTS behavior. Future research should include gender-specific perceptions and more in-depth investigations of correlates encouraging ACTS, especially considering social aspects, safety issues, and the structuring of the environment in different cultural settings.